Help with adoption rules?

Question

My sister in law knows of a couple who have lost parental responsibility for there 3 year old daughter and at the moment she is living with family but there are putting her forward for adoption as they already have there own children and this little girl needs a lot of attention she has been through things that a 3 year old should never go through and this for want of a better word has damaged her what my friend is trying to find out is does this child have to go through the system to be adopted or could her and her husband look into taking her as they are very fond of her nd have no children of there own they are not sure and dont really know whether this is possible and if so how to go about it

serious answers only please

Answer 1

If the child is being put forward for adoption then your friend will have to go through the system of having to be "approved "for adoption first, this involves a lengthy process with the social service officers, lots of intimate interviews and finally a Adoption panel made up of doctors/nurses/social workers and a member who has adopted previously. Once this process is completed you are then free and able to apply to adopt any available children which meet your criteria and which the social service think would be suitable for you.

This is not a complete list of things you would have to consider but a few pointers. It took my Wife and I 2 years from the time we first started the process to finally adopting our son he will be 14 in February and we have cared for him for 9 years

Best of Luck, hope this helps just a little bit

Answer 2

A lot will depend on various items.  First the state the child is in and the state your sister in law is in makes somewhat of a difference.  They will definitely need a homestudy and that also includes police records, backround checks etc.  If the original parents lost their rights then the child is probably already part of the state system.  Have your sister in law talk to the family members that have this child and see what is on the agenda.  If another family member has custody and control-then it may be able to be handled as a private adoption and custody and control can be given over to your sister in law.  However be sure to have a lawyer draw up all the paperwork in order that it is all legal and binding.  There may be visits that have to happen, councelling etc that needs to be written in the contracts.

cost should be nominal unless an agency must be involved.  And in some states it is required.  Start with as much information that can be obtained by the family she is living with.  Or maybe go online or to courthouse where parental rights were lost and you may get some information or insight.

Best of luck!  Sheri

Answer 3

Whether they can go about this privately or not will depend on whether the child has been in the system.  If the state terminated the parental rights & then she was placed with family then this couple will need to go through the foster system to inquire about adoption.  If she's not in the state's custody, then it might be able to be handled by an attorney.

No matter what, they'll need to go through certain steps like the criminal background and child abuse/neglect checks, the home study, etc.

If the child is in the state's custody, they will need to go through not only the steps that are common to all adoptions, but also go through the foster/adoptive parent training.  This will be a series of classes (each state has their own requirements), CPR/First Aid training and such.  

For them to get in touch with the state, they can go to http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/reslist... to find out the contact info and figure out the steps they'll need to go through to successfully adopt the little girl.

Answer 4

well no sorry

Answer 5

your sister in law needs to contact the social services fast to put their thoughts in motion

Answer 6

Yes it is possible. They will have to take the child into their home as a foster child until certain requirements and counseling is done and once that is all done then they can start the adoption process. Have them contact the Department of Children and Families and tell them who the child is what the situation is and their desire to adopt her. I do not like the wording as no child should be considered "damaged" so I suggest never using that term again when talking about a child.

Answer 7

Maybe "emotionally affected" would be a better term.

They can contact an attorney (www.adoptionattorneys.org) and do the whole process relatively easily.  If they are all in the same state, both parties (baby's guardians and the adoptive parents) can use the same attorney and save some money.  They should start the home study process as soon as possible, because there are several things that can't happen until that is complete.